It is for EC to decide on Bengal polls: Pranab

Virtually putting the ball in the Election Commission's court on the issue of advancing the 2011 West Bengal assembly elections, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said it is a Constitutional problem and the poll panel has to take a decision.

"It is not a matter of the party. It's a constitutional provision. The Trinamool Congress has demanded early polls because the ruling party has lost successive elections. That's the rationality of demanding. Election Commission has to decide it," the Union Finance Minister told reporters here when asked about Congress's views on early polls as demanded by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee had demanded advancing of assembly elections after her party routed the CPI(M)-led Left Front in the recent civic elections.

She had reasoned that assembly elections were due in some states in October and that the matter came under the Election Commission six months prior to elections.

The CPI-M has rejected Banerjee's demand, but Ashok Ghosh, veteran leader of LF coalition's second largest constituent Forward Bloc, has said assembly elections could be held in November.

The Election Commission could take such a decision, provided a directive came from the Centre, he had said.